January 19, 2026 — In a bid to chart the course of American science and innovation for the next five years, the National Science Foundation is inviting the public’s feedback on its draft Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2026–2030(**). The NSF – an independent federal agency that funds research and…
January 15, 2026 — When a storied scientific institution weighs in on a government program, policymakers tend to listen. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine – an independent, congressionally chartered organization – has built a reputation for providing “independent, trustworthy advice” on complex scientific and technical issues(**). Now,…
WASHINGTON — January 14, 2026 — What has changed since our previous article focused on Senator Markey’s compromise draft is not the posture of negotiations — still serious, still incomplete — but the shape of the bargaining. On paper, it now looks less like one side talking past the other…
PHILADELPHIA – January 12, 2026 — With America’s flagship small-business innovation program caught in congressional limbo, local governments are increasingly taking matters into their own hands. In Philadelphia, officials have launched what is being hailed as Pennsylvania’s first city-led SBIR matching grant initiative, aimed at bridging the gap between lab-bench…
With SBIR and STTR authorization expired, Senator Markey’s compromise bill proposes stronger national security checks, commercialization mandates, and strategic grants—seeking bipartisan buy-in to restart America’s $4B small business research engine.
Congress’s latest spending package reshapes how agencies handle SBIR funds during reauthorization gaps—unlocking DOE flexibilities, preserving overhead recovery, and tightening oversight. Small businesses in R&D should prepare for new compliance norms.
NASA has issued an update on the status of its SBIR and STTR programs while congressional reauthorization is pending. New solicitations and awards are temporarily paused, while previously issued awards remain active.
NIH has implemented temporary peer review changes to clear a shutdown-driven backlog of grant applications. Learn how new triage rules, accelerated scoring, and revised summary statements affect NIH and SBIR/STTR applicants.
The 2025 NDAA deal moves forward without restoring the expired SBIR/STTR programs, leaving thousands of small R&D firms in limbo as congressional negotiations stall over proposed reforms, caps, and national-security vetting requirements.
NIH will eliminate paylines in 2026, shifting grant funding decisions toward mission alignment, public health priorities, and programmatic judgment. Researchers now face greater uncertainty but also new opportunities under a more holistic and strategy-driven review process.